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B95 can feel it: a stirring in his bones and feathers. It's time. Today is the day he will once again cast himself into the air, spiral upward into the clouds, and bank into the wind. He wears a black band on his lower right leg and an orange flag on his upper left, bearing the laser inscription B95. Scientists call him the Moonbird because, in the course of his astoundingly long lifetime, this gritty, four-ounce marathoner has flown the distance to the moon-and halfway back!&nbspB95 is a robin-sized shorebird, a red knot of the subspecies rufa. Each February he joins a flock that lifts off from Tierra del Fuego, headed for breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic, nine thousand miles away.nbsp; Late in the summer, he begins the return journey.B95 can fly for days without eating or sleeping, but eventually he must descend to refuel and rest. However, recent changes at ancient refueling stations along his migratory circuit-changes caused mostly by human activity-have reduced the food available and made it harder for the birds to reach. And so, since 1995, when B95 was first captured and banded, the worldwide rufa population has collapsed by nearly 80 percent. Most perish somewhere along the great hemispheric circuit, but the Moonbird wings on.&nbspHe has been seen as recently as November 2011, which makes him nearly twenty years old.&nbspShaking their heads, scientists ask themselves: How can this one bird make it year after year when so many others fall?&nbspNational Book Award-winning author Phillip Hoose takes us around the hemisphere with the world's most celebrated shorebird, showing the obstacles rufa red knots face, introducing a worldwide team of scientists and conservationists trying to save them, and offering insights about what we can do to help shorebirds before it's too late.&nbspWith inspiring prose, thorough research, and stirring images, Hoose explores the tragedy of extinction through the triumph of a single bird.nbsp; Moonbirdnbsp; is one The Washington Post 's Best Kids Books of 2012.

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B95 can feel it: a stirring in his bones and feathers. It's time. Today is the day he will once again cast himself into the air, spiral upward into the clouds, and bank into the wind. It's a long way to the other end of the earth, but he's done it before.

Scientists call him the Moonbird because, in the course of his astoundingly long lifetime, this gritty, four-ounce robin-sized shorebird has flown more than 325,000 miles, the distance to the moon and halfway back!

Natural Nonfiction: This bird wears a black band on his lower right leg and an orange flag on his upper left, bearing the laser inscription B95. Scientists call him the Moonbird because, in the course of his astoundingly long lifetime, this gritty, four-ounce marathoner has flown the distance to ... Read More &raquo

Scientists call him the Moonbird because, in the course of his astoundingly long lifetime, this gritty, four-ounce robin-sized shorebird has flown more than 325,000 miles, the distance to the moon and halfway back!

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Every year, the rufa red knots fly from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, at the southernmost point of South America and back. B95—nicknamed Moonbird because he has flown the distance to the moon and halfway back!—was banded in 1995 and is still making the trip. Follow his journey and the many challenges he faces, and meet the people who are trying to save the red knots from extinction. Illus. with photos.

Prepare to be in awe of this tiny creature, who weighs merely ounces and has survived 19 years on Planet Earth migrating each year from the southern most tip of South America to Canada. This magnificent little bird, a rufa red knot with the leg band B95, has flown the distance to the moon and halfway back. How can something so fragile be so indestructible? This book is written for middle school students but is a must read for everyone!

Moonbird, by Phillip Hoose, is the story of an incredible bird, B95. Through his story, we learn about an amazing species of tiny shore bird, the Rufa Red Knot. The size of a robin, this bird has one of the longest distance migrations of any animal — more than 18,000 miles in a round trip. B95 has made that trip 20 times, flying the equivalent of the distance to the moon and halfway back, earning him the nickname Moonbird. Hoose's storytelling brings B95 to life for readers in a way that makes them care about Moonbird as much as any character in a fictional book. They can be swept up in the story as surely as in any novel, while being left with an admiration for this plucky species and a greater understanding of the environmental issues that threaten its survival. If the story of this incredible shore bird sparks your interest in endangered bird species, be sure to check out Phillip Hoose's book about the ivory-billed woodpecker, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird.